This disclosure pertains to a hand tool and more particularly, to an adjustable gripping tool which, as a result of manual operation, self-energizes, automatically configures to engage differently dimensioned and shaped work pieces and de-energizes upon release of actuating force.
Various types of adjustable gripping tools are known in the art. Specifically, several known adjustable gripping tools are embodied in the form of a “crescent” wrench, an adjustable socket wrench, an adjustable hydrant wrench, pipe wrench, vice grips, crimpers, bolt and nut cutters, pipe and tube cutters, and various other “plier-type” gripping tools. The adjustable hydrant wrench includes a housing having the same general shape as a hydrant fastener and a handle that is threadingly adjustable with the housing to compensate for differently sized hydrant fasteners. During the last 100 plus years, municipalities installed fire hydrants having pentagonal-shaped (five sided) fastener sizes that range between 1¼″ and 1¾″, because for the longest time there was no national standard for hydrant design or specification. Accordingly, most cities must contend with the legacy issues of these various designs. Other issues that are presented include old and aging metal and worn hydrant fasteners as a result of using an incorrect or improper wrench on corroded or frozen nuts. Major disadvantages of existing hydrant wrenches are that they do not fully engage the hydrant fasteners and require manual manipulation to threadingly adjust and lock down on the hydrant fastener prior to applying leverage to the hydrant fastener.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an adjustable gripping tool that, as a result of manual operation, self-energizes the tool gripping action, may be automatically sized and resized to engage a work piece, de-energizes upon release of actuation force, that has a broad range of dimensional capability, engages work pieces axially and radially and provides offsetting forces for stability in operation. Beyond the ability to resize the gripping range, the gripping tool of the present disclosure symmetrically translates the force applied to the gripping tool onto the work piece in a symmetrically balanced and mechanically advantaged and efficient way. Thus, an even distribution of gripping and rotational force about the work piece is achieved; thereby allowing for the most efficient distribution of mechanical force about the work piece. For any given force required to manipulate the work pieces, the gripping tool of the present disclosure will accomplish the work with the minimal distortion or deformation under load of the work piece by distributing the work force over the largest area of the work piece. Other advantages of the adjustable gripping tool of the present disclosure include decreased costs, increased productivity and multi-access engagement of the work piece resulting in a mechanically advantaged, efficient, even and balanced distribution of working forces.